Don’t we all just love tomatoes!! the red juicy fleshly vegetable has made its value so clear to us that it is used by a whole lot of people around the world?
This flowering plant is part of the berry family and is considered a vegetable because of its numerous nutritional value.
Tomatoes usually turn red when an ethylene chemical starts to act on the tomatoes upon reaching the mature stage.
Ethylene is a chemical substance that has no smell or taste and is produced when the tomatoes have reached a mature stage and are ready for ripening.
The ethylene interacts with the tomatoes to initiate the ripening process. Another chemical that induces the start of ripening is lycopene.
It is a specific chemical compound that is responsible for giving them a red colour.
Apart from being the major Factor in tomato ripening, Lycopene is also found in pink guavas, watermelons, and even apricots.
But sometimes we notice that our tomatoes are not ripening or turning red. What could be the reason?
In this article, we are going to discuss why tomatoes are not turning red and how to make green tomatoes turn red on Vines.
Why Are My Tomatoes Not Turning Red?
Your tomatoes have not reached maturity.
A primary reason why your tomatoes aren’t turning red is that they are not yet matured enough for lycopene to act on them.
Different varieties of tomatoes have different times in which they attain maturity. It takes about six to eight weeks for most tomato fruits to mature after the flowers blossom. For us to have a continuous stream of mature red tomatoes, different varieties should be planted at different times.
Temperatures are too cold.
For mature green tomatoes to ripen and turn red, they require a standard minimum temperature of 60-80 degrees. If the temperature is lower, it will take more time for the tomatoes to ripen
and if lower temperatures are kept for a longer time, then the tomatoes might not ripen?
Temperatures are too hot.
Even though tomatoes enjoy a hot climate, if the heat is excess it could be a problem for the tomatoes. If the temperature goes above 90° the tomatoes cannot produce the chemical substance called lycopene.
Exposure to extreme heat for a long period will cause the tomatoes to stop ripening and the tomatoes will remain green for a long period.
Your tomatoes are not red tomatoes!
Like I said before tomatoes have different varieties, therefore some tomatoes will not turn red even if they are mature or writing; for example, the helm tomato is one of those tomatoes that are green whether it is right or not.
Other examples of different colours of tomatoes include yellow tomatoes, orange, pink and green tomatoes.
How To Turn Green Tomatoes Red On The Vine.
1. Remove ripe tomatoes daily. – Immediately tomato fruits start to change colours. It’s a sign that it is mature and has begun to ripen. When this occurs, pick the fruits immediately.
Doing this will allow other Fruits on the vine to mature faster and wipe quickly.
Even if tomatoes are harvested as half-ripe tomatoes on the Vine they will have the same taste as tomatoes that get mature and ripe on Vines.
2. When tomato fruits ripen on the vine they must be removed from the wine, this enables all the tomato fruit to ripen quickly.
If the already ripened tomatoes are not removed from the vine, it will slow the process of ripening of order tomatoes and might increase the chances of disease spreading.
3. Remove excess flowers. – removing clusters of flowers from the tomato fruit allowed the plant to focus their nutrients and energy on ripening the tomatoes that are already in the wine. Removing the flowers from the tomatoes also helps to prevent Frost from damaging
4. Pluck extra fruit. – ensure that any fruits or small fruits are removed from the tomato vine. Also if the fruits on tomato vines are in excess it is best to remove a part of them so that the ones that are on the vine will ripen quickly.
5. Minimize watering and adding fertilizer late in the season – limiting the amount o water and using fertilizers will help the fruits to ripen faster especially when they are mature.
Fertilizers that are rich in nitrogen promote the growth of more leaves instead of fruit maturation.
When you reduce water on the plant once the tomatoes have reached the mature size, it will enhance the ripening process and also improve the flavour.
6. Remove some leaves – tomato plants often produce new succer is doing right now in season now is this Circus on YouTube and access it is best to remove them so that they will enable do tomatoes to ripen faster or get more mature on the Vine.
How Long Does It Take Tomatoes to Turn Red?
For normal tomatoes it takes about 22-40 days from the point in which the tomato starts to flower and when they are mature to ripen.
Then after the tomatoes are mature it takes an additional 20 to 40 days for them to turn red. We need a total of 42-70 days from the day of planting.
Can You Pick Tomatoes When They Are Green?
Technically tomatoes can be picked green and then ripen later. Most tomatoes purchased from the supermarket or local stores were picked green and allowed to ripen.
This is done to prevent tomatoes from ripening and getting worse when they are transported to other places around the country.
Another reason why it is best to pick tomatoes when they are green is that some of these tomatoes get heavy on the vines and when this happens it makes it difficult for the plants to ripen.!
Take caution not to clock in mature green tomatoes. This is because these tomatoes are not frightened and are not yet ready to be harvested.
How Do You Get Green Tomatoes to Turn Red?
Placing tomatoes in a tight container or a box made out of cardboard is an essential way to ripen tomatoes quickly.
Ensure that the tomatoes are spaced evenly and are not compacted together. Make sure that the box is tightly shut and check the bag daily for mould and rot and also to see if the tomatoes have started to ripen.
If your tomatoes have already started showing signs of ripening we can simply put them in a window close to the sun and allow the tomatoes to ripe with time.
What Do You Do With Green Tomatoes At The End Of The Season?
Near the end of the season, you can use red plastic mulch around the plants to hasten to ripening. Finally, observe the weather. If temperatures are falling below 55 degrees Fahrenheit, , start pulling the green ones and ripen them indoors.
Will Tomatoes Ripen If Picked Green?
They definitely will! An effective way to ripen tomatoes even if they were plucked green is to place the green tomatoes with other tomatoes that are already getting ripened. Food such as bananas that have already ripened also increases the chances of your tomatoes ripening quickly.
Can I Eat Green tomatoes?
I mean why not! Ripe green tomatoes are a very good source of vitamins( A, C, and potassium.) They are delicious just the same way red tomatoes are also delicious to eat and they have great benefits too.
How Long Does It Take For Tomatoes to Ripe In A Paper bag?
It takes about 2 to 3 weeks for tomatoes to ripen in a paper bag and this is because the gas is trapped with tomatoes in the bag and this helps increase the process of ripening.
All those different priorities and level of maturity is also determinant factor of tomatoes ripening on time.
Finally, putting the little tips above will enable us to get the most out of the tomatoes, whether they are green or red, tomatoes are vegetables that we all can enjoy freely.
